There are always great differences between the individual manufacturing of different components and the series or mass manufacturing of identical components in respect of the plants required, the number of variants which can be produced and the (piece) costs associated therewith. Individual manufacturing makes it possible to produce small piece numbers of components with tools or plants more likely requiring low capital costs. The production methods used for this purpose are customarily highly flexible and permit a rapid conversion to the production of components of varying size and/or shape. Tools or plants which are suitable for the series or mass manufacturing generally do not have this flexibility. In addition, they more likely require high capital costs. In return, they permit the rapid production of large quantities of identically designed components.
Individual production methods and production methods for mass manufacturing can be difficult to combine with one another because of the described differences. This conflict of objectives frequently can only be resolved in that a decision has to be made for one of these two types of production. The decision often depends on the previously described requirements, such as piece numbers and number of variants to be produced. Particular challenges arise in the production of components which, although they are intended to be produced in large piece numbers, are nevertheless intended to be produced in different variants or with different shapes.
Solutions which combine the principles of mass manufacturing and individual manufacturing with one another are known from the prior art. These solutions are, for example, modular designs or platform designs. However, a disadvantage of these known solutions consists in that there are only a few degrees of freedom in individual design parameters. This has the consequence that only a small degree of individualization can be achieved.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved method of manufacturing components, in such a manner that components having differing geometry can also be produced cost-effectively in large piece numbers.